Word of Life Fellowship
Word of Life Fellowship reported $73.4 million in revenue and $63.3 million in expenses for calendar year 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $91.35 went to program services, $4.21 to management and general costs and $4.44 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 69.4% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $205,531 (President/Director). 3 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 31% between 2019 and 2025. Source: Form 990, 2025.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $63MFor context, the median across 290 covered religion-related charities: $88.39 programs, $9.62 management, $1.99 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
Calendar year 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $73MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 91.3% | 86.0% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 4.2% | 9.4% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 4.4% | 1.9% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.06 | $0.04 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 69.4% | 83.4% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 1.7% | 0.0% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 28.2% | 2.3% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $205,531 | $276,040 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 0.32% | 1.40% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 29.9 | 12.7 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 20 of 24 | 90.9% |
A median is context, not a target: hospitals, universities, food banks and grantmakers spend in very different ways. What these measures can and can't tell you.
What the money paid for, in its own words
2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseYouth ministries: Through the Youth ministries Word of Life partners with approximately 500 churches in the United States. The Word of Life Youth ministry program serves local churches to establish foundational truths for godly living in the lives of young people. Age specific programs are offered to preschool through high school. Local church lay people are trained and equipped by Word of Life staff to effectively minister to their youth
Word of Life operates an accredited Bible Institute with the main campus in New York and teaching site in Florida. Students study the Word of God under outstanding resident and adjunct professors. Students are instructed using the Holy Bible to learn and apply practical principles in ministering to others and developing a godly lifestyle
Camps and Conferences: Reaching youth and adults through camps and conference ministries is a Word of Life trademark. Annually thousands of youth are ministered to through camps in the United States and thousands of adults are guests at conference centers in New York and Florida
Highest reported compensation
2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section A · roles as filed; names are in the filing, not here| Role | From this org | From related orgs | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| President/Director Director/trustee, officer, 40 hrs/week | $176,863 | $0 | $28,668 | $205,531 |
| Director Director/trustee, 40 hrs/week | $103,449 | $0 | $30,731 | $134,180 |
| Director/Treasurer Director/trustee, officer, 30.00 hrs/week | $69,001 | $0 | $12,355 | $81,356 |
| Director Director/trustee, 40 hrs/week | $61,484 | $0 | $17,052 | $78,536 |
| Director Director/trustee, 40 hrs/week | $45,354 | $0 | $2,895 | $48,249 |
| Director Director/trustee, 20 hrs/week | $25,457 | $0 | $275 | $25,732 |
| Director Director/trustee, 4 hrs/week | $2,200 | $0 | $0 | $2,200 |
| Director Director/trustee, 4 hrs/week | $1,000 | $0 | $0 | $1,000 |
3 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Word of Life Fellowship (Part VII, line 2).
7 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
2025 · the organization's own yes/no answers; explanations, if any, are in Schedule O of the filing · what each means- Voting board members, and how many are independent Part VI, lines 1a–1b24 · 20 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2No
- Aware of a significant diversion of assets Part VI 5No
- Excess benefit transaction with an insider Part IV 25aNo
- Loans to or from insiders outstanding Part IV 26No
- Lobbying, or a 501(h) election in effect Part IV 4No
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18Yes
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bYes
- Employees Part I, line 5763
- Volunteers Part I, line 6810
Largest outside contractors
2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| BBL LLC Construction services | $18,998,683 |
| C McKenna Property Management Management and construction services | $694,718 |
| CapinCrouse LLP Financial | $122,229 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 3 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
19 private foundations reported grants to Word of Life Fellowship totaling $83,169 on their tax year 2023 Form 990-PF returns. See which foundations, on WHOFUNDS.
Source: WHOFUNDS open grant graph, matched from Form 990-PF Part XV.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from Word of Life Fellowship's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Word of Life Fellowship, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Word of Life Fellowship spent in 2025, $91.35 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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All religion-related charities · Largest charities in New York
Questions people ask
How much of Word of Life Fellowship's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2025, Word of Life Fellowship reported that 91.3% of its $63.3 million in expenses went to program services, 4.2% to management and general and 4.4% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Word of Life Fellowship pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Word of Life Fellowship reported for one person in calendar year 2025 was $205,531, for the role of President/Director (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Word of Life Fellowship get its money?
Of $73.4 million in revenue in calendar year 2025, 69.4% came from contributions and grants (including 1.7% from government grants) and 28.2% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Word of Life Fellowship a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 13-5648615 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(a)(vi))), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- 2025: Form 990 for calendar year 2025, object 202602599349300215 · read the filing
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202532479349301553 · read the filing
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202402999349300545 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202342689349300734 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202212369349300331 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202112429349300926 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202032549349300528 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 13-5648615: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.